


A Lesson on the Veldt

by Eida



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 17:11:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11994270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eida/pseuds/Eida
Summary: Cyan is inspired to attempt to instruct Gau on the art of swordsmanship. Gau is not quite as attentive as Cyan would prefer.





	A Lesson on the Veldt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [colorcoded](https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorcoded/gifts).



Cyan woke at dawn to the sound of Sabin's mighty snoring—a sound both familiar and somehow comforting. Cyan, who had endured worse snoring as a young novice in the barracks of Doma, could easily sleep through it, and he appreciated Sabin's company enough that the noise hardly bothered him. Sabin seemed a solid fellow, both in stature and in spirit, and Cyan had come to like him a great deal.

Sabin would wake soon, Cyan imagined; they were both given to rising early. Cyan simply had the habit of rising just a bit earlier.

He glanced briefly, noting that Gau, the wild boy who'd joined their little party, was also still asleep, curled up on top of the extra bedroll they'd purchased for him in Mobliz—though Gau twitched slightly in his slumber ever so often. Doubtless they'd both be up soon, ready to break camp and continue on their way towards the cave where Gau had said he'd stored something “shiny” he wanted to give them.

Cyan stretched, rolling his shoulders, and picked up his blade. He walked a short distance—enough to give him a bit of space, not enough that he was fully out of eyeshot, or earshot, should some trouble arise—and began his usual morning ritual of moving through one of the sword kata he'd first learned many years ago.

He recalled, with pain still fresh, the paired katas he'd also learned—the sword-dances for two, with each participant moving in rapid rhythm, blades flashing, but never cutting, each warrior in perfect harmony with their partner. 

Would he ever be able to perform one again, with Doma left barren? Would anyone?

He remembered Owain--his son, the joy of his heart--and how he, too, had taken to the sword; so young, but with such talent and drive, all gone, snuffed senselessly out by the Empire's brutality.

Cyan took a long, slow, deep breath, then exhaled, letting his grief, his fury, and his guilt flow out with his breath. He cleared his mind as best as he could and, straightening, lifted his sword and took the first stance.

Sword up, down, a slash, stance shifting as he passed through the steps, each motion with a purpose, executed with a perfection honed by years of practice.

With nearly all the people of Doma gone, it was his duty to carry on its warrior arts with all the skill he could.

He heard a rustling in the grass nearby, and swiftly turned to see the source of the noise, sword held ready in case it proved to be something dangerous.

But no—it was simply Gau, with a long stick in hand, not facing Cyan at all, but turned away... and Cyan noted, with surprise, that Gau was standing in a similar stance to Cyan, his stick held like Cyan's katana.

Gau took a quick glance over his shoulder, and, seeing that Cyan had lowered his sword, lowered his stick as well.

“Wert thou... watching me?” Cyan asked.

“Uwau. Yes,” said Gau, nodding.

Cyan studied him for a moment. The boy was young, perhaps in his early teens, but Cyan had begun his own education in the samurai arts at around that age.

And for all that Gau had seemingly grown up among the monsters of the Veldt, he still seemed a bright and curious young man. Unmannerly, perhaps, but he'd had no one to teach him manners.

Perhaps, in the presence of a teacher, he might prove a diligent pupil.

Cyan smiled. “Well, Sir Gau, what I was doing is known as a kata. Kata are a teaching tool used to teach a student of the martial arts the movements and stances one may use to defend oneself and others. There are many kata; the one I was doing is known as Two Tides.” He moved back into the first stance before continuing. “The sequence moves from offense, to defense,” and here he shifted to one of those defensive stances, “and back to offense,” striking forward with his blade, “as the flow of battle may force one to shift from one mode to another.”

He looked back at Gau. Gau tilted his head slightly to one side, but said nothing.

“But it is not the first kata one generally learns,” Cyan continued. He closed his eyes briefly, remembering his early days of training, the joys and pains of honing his body and his mind in the name of defending his people and his home.

“The first kata I learned was known as...” Cyan stopped short. Gau was gone, and the only sign of where he'd gone was the rustling movement of the tall grass he'd suddenly disappeared into.

Cyan lowered his sword, frowning.

Then, sighing, he lifted it once more, moving back into the Two Tides kata, finishing the sequence, though he found his heart wasn't much in it.

With that, he headed back to camp.

Sabin was crouched by the fire, stirring the embers back to life. As Cyan drew near, Sabin looked up and said “Hey, do you know where Gau ran off to?”

Cyan shook his head. “Sir Gau was headed eastward the last time I saw him; that is all I know. He did not speak of his intentions to me.”

“Huh. I guess he'll be back at some time or another. We do still have some dried meat on us, if we need to lure him back,” said Sabin. “But first, I'm going to heat some water to cook these oats.”

Cyan sat back down on his bedroll, laying his sheathed sword down on top of it as well.

After a few moments of silence, Sabin said, “Hey, you seem a little out of sorts this morning. Do you, ah, want to talk about it?”

Cyan considered his words a moment before saying “It is just... I saw Sir Gau copying me as I did my morning exercises, and I thought, perhaps, he might be willing to learn some swordcraft. But he ran off before I could say much.”

Sabin laughed. “Sounds a bit like me at that age. I used to have a hard time focusing on anything that didn't interest me right away. But Master Duncan was patient, and before long I learned that even the boring stuff can be important enough to put your time and effort into.”

Cyan hardly thought the sword kata were boring; _he'd_ certainly been eager enough to learn. He'd known he wanted to be a warrior ever since he was a small child, watching his father perform a paired kata with one of his fellow warriors in a demonstration at the Spring Festival. He remembered the sharp gasps of the crowd as the two warriors' blades flashed, never once tearing clothing or skin.

“But I'm not so sure you can make a samurai out of Gau, there,” said Sabin. “I'm not an expert, but something tells me he's headed down a different path.”

“I suppose thou art correct,” said Cyan, a touch of glumness in his tone.

Sabin studied Cyan for a moment. “Master Duncan used to say that for any teacher, there was a student, and when the moment was right, they'd find each other. It proved true enough for me. I wish...” Sabin sighed. “At any rate, I think you'll find someone to pass on what you know. Maybe not for a while. But eventually. Maybe after we've won, after the Empire's fallen, when it's time to rebuild.”

Cyan looked at the fire. “I hope you are correct,” he said. “I fear... that what I know may die with me.”

“It won't,” said Sabin. “Not any more than Master Duncan's knowledge died with him. I'll carry it forward, and someday I'll teach it to others. So will you. And I could be wrong about Gau—maybe he'll find that he really does want to learn to fight with a sword, and if he comes to you, he'll be learning from one of the best.”

Cyan smiled. “Thank you,” he said. “Your words—“

“Uwau!” called Gau from somewhere nearby. Immediately, Cyan hopped to his feet. 

“Sir Gau? Where art thou?” he called.

“Uwau! Here!” Out from yet another clump of tall grass, the boy emerged, a dead bird clutched in one hand. Cyan didn't recognize the species.

“You gave Gau food, so Gau bring food back,” he said, holding out his vanquished prey.

Cyan and Sabin glanced briefly at each other.

“I think he's managed to teach himself plenty, all on his own,” said Sabin.

Cyan looked back at Gau. “You've made a fine catch, Sir Gau,” said Cyan.

Gau beamed.

A bit of plucking and cleaning later, there was a bird roasting over the fire.

They wound up breaking camp a bit later than intended, but despite his usual preference for getting an early start, Cyan found he didn't much mind.


End file.
